Canning, Jamming, Crafting & Cooking…always up to something

CSA Week 2: How to deal with a lot of greens

June 18, 2010

So if you are in a CSA, then you probably get a lot of greens, to which you say “Great Scott! I can’t eat all of this!” I too have made this observation, but have come up an answer: cook those babies down!

Observe, my sink full of escarole:

Yes, that is a lot...

So for starters, begin as I usually begin: garlic and olive oil, sauteed over medium heat…

Sauteed Garlic- always a good place to start

Then add the mountain of escarole, roughly chopped:

Yea, that is a lot of greens

Cover and let this all wilt for about 10 minutes, after which the size of the escarole will seem a lot more manageable:

Steaming pot of goodness

From here, you can go in a lot of directions. I added about 3 cups of frozen chicken stock I had made a while ago (you can also add pre-made stock or water), a can each of cannelini and kidney beans. I brought this to a boil and added about 2 cups of elbow macaroni. Cook until al dente, and add salt and pepper to taste. Some parmesean or peccorino romano cheese on the table is a nice way to finish.